Dope Thief Episode 3 Review: Characters Take Over the Apple TV+ Crime Drama - CBR

The following contains spoilers from Dope Thief Episode 3, “Run, Die or Relapse,” now streaming on Apple TV+.

Dope Thief Episode 3, “Run, Die, or Relapse” digs a bit deeper, making connections between characters in the Apple TV+ show and their choices. Ray and Manny tie all these elements together, while dealing with the fallout from another bright idea. After ransacking an isolated methamphetamine farm, both men find themselves in hot water with bikers after their blood. This forces them to think on what their actions might mean for the families they love.

Series creator and Gladiator II writer Peter Craig clearly likes to take his time telling stories. Dope Thief is in no hurry to get where it wants to go — but viewers are unlikely to notice, because the performances are equally relaxed. The Philadelphia suburbs are an intriguing backdrop, while the ensemble cast make the show’s world feel lived-in. And the audiences is made to feel complicit in the characters’ actions as consequences become clearer.

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Episode 3 Prioritizes Realism and Connection Over Conflict

This Apple original has the same feel as Out of Sight, which continues to be one of Steven Soderbergh’s most underrated films. Both have an easygoing vibe and a central protagonist who remains affable and rolls with the punches. That comparison also comes through in the cinematography by Eduardo Enrique Mayen and Yaron Orbach, which has a certain Bohemian chic to it. Their work is the visual equivalent of a crisp winter morning, coupled with a late-night snow-dusted street scene. Frozen rain gathered in gutters and the slamming of screen doors in congested suburbs add to that feeling perfectly.

But more than anything, Dope Thief thrives because it shares aesthetic qualities with The Wire. Scenes feel interrupted and organic. rather than predetermined and confined. Meetings between people in the street have an improvised quality, making conversations stilted and sometimes a touch awkward. This means there are very few confrontational moments in Dope Thief, which is odd considering the premise. But from a dramatic perspective, this approach enhances the characters’ emotions and gives the episode a fly on the wall sensibility. Episode 3 uses its ambiance to further develop relationships outside of the one between Ray and Manny.

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As Bart’s divorce attorney, Michelle Taylor’s first meeting with Ray was complicated as he connected all the dots in Season 1, Episode 2, “Bat Out of Hell.” In Episode 3, there are indications that Michelle may have a larger part to play in this melodrama. Craig uses her as an emotional bridge between Ray and his estranged father. He takes that same approach with the other characters throughout the episode. As much as conflict here might feel like the central focus, this writer is much more interested in how these Philadelphia natives mesh together. That’s a refreshing approach that continues to make Dope Thief stand out.

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Dope Thief Truly Revolves Around Theresa and Ray

This Episode Highlights Ray’s Relationship With His Mom

Theresa, wearing a red sweater, sits with her arms crossed, looking sternly at Ray in Dope Thief — Image via Apple TV+

Everything in Dope Thief Episode 3 begins with Theresa, because everything in Ray’s life links back to her. Theresa is depicted as a bastion of strength and fortitude, who loves Ray’s father blindly despite the abuse. Despite bickering back and forth, Theresa and Ray have forged an undeniable connection, born out of adversity and abandonment. Theresa knows Ray better than anyone else — including Manny. The beauty of “Run, Die, or Relapse” is how Theresa and Ray’s relationship is a healthy dynamic that proves they’d be lost without one another. It helps that actors Kate Mulgrew and Brian Tyree Henry have an easy chemistry. They’re not only convincing in the here and now, but even moreso in flashbacks to when their characters’ bond was less established.

Theresa might seem cantankerous and uncaring on the outside, but her tough love is a balm for Ray. They’re inseparable on every subject except Bart — Ray’s father figure and full-time prisoner. Uppercut star Ving Rhames is riveting as a battered and broken ex-alcoholic, worn down by years of hard drinking. He sits at the center of this dysfunctional family unit, still controlling events even though he’s behind bars. The understanding of intimacy that Ray gets from Theresa and Bart defines Dope Thief just as much as the illegal activities that Ray is involved in.

Episode 3 suggests that Manny is the weakest link in Ray’s life. His tendency to panic under pressure is starting to make him a liability. The irony of Narcos star Wagner Moura impersonating a DEA agent will not go unnoticed. At the beginning of “Run, Die or Relapse,” Manny has disappeared into the win, which casts further doubt on the friendship that’s supposed to be at the core of the show. The family unit, even as broken as it is, is much stronger.

Ray wearing a blue puffer jacket and Manny in a black jacket and red hat from Apple TV's Dope Thief

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The Episode Is Bigger Than Manny and Ray

Ray sits inside his truck, wearing a dark jacket, with Theresa's dog on his lap in Dope Thief — Image via Apple TV+

Dope Thief might be taking its time with its crime story, but that doesn’t matter so much because what keeps it moving is happening on a much smaller level. Their small Philadelphia suburb is in danger of losing some of their own. Ray and Manny have made some bad choices that might put them both six feet under. A chasm is opening up between those they hold dear and anyone willing to help them, if only because those people have to think about self-preservation. Episode 3 carefully ratchets up the tension not just for its two central characters, but for everyone in their neighborhood.

Highlighting those people who are in danger because of what Ray and Manny have done raises the stakes of the entire show. Doing it with subtlety is another aspect that makes Dope Thief great. The influence of executive producer Ridley Scott is fairly obvious in how Craig and his creative team approach the production; so much of the episode feels deliberate and measured. Ray and Manny might have hightailed it out that meth farm with cash and products, but all of that is window dressing. The show is truly about the world they inhabit.

Audiences can get lost in Ray and Manny’s relationships and become immersed in their community, because identifying with them is easy. Yes, the DEA is getting closer to find them and there are unsavory elements seeking retribution, but Episode 3 makes that kind of drama secondary to character. The ambiance established by the creative team sets the table — and then the strong performances by Brian Tyree Henry, Wagner Moura and Kate Mulgrew do the rest. “Run, Die or Relapse” suggests that Manny and Ray only have three options. But the fans are already so invested in their struggle that it almost doesn’t matter which one the story points toward.

Dope Thief streams Fridays on Apple TV+.